|
Employer-sponsored drug-free workplace
programs play an important role in reducing the demand for drugs
and achieving a drug-free workforce. Not only do they make workplaces
safer and more productive by detecting and deterring use, they also
can serve as a critical, and often first step, along the road to treatment
or recovery for individuals addicted to alcohol or other drugs.
However, such programs are not as effective in compelling job seekers
who currently use drugs to stop using or seek help. Applicants denied
jobs because of a pre-employment drug testing, as well as employees
terminated because of drug policy violations, are likely to seek work
where drug-free workplace programs are not in place. Given that the
nation’s workforce development system is charged with helping
employers find qualified, dependable workers by providing job preparation
services to job seekers, this system has the power to play an important
role in achieving a drug-free workforce.
Countless people in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other
drugs are valuable, productive employees who contribute positively
to their communities. However, untreated, addiction can impede an
individual’s ability to develop skills and obtain employment,
sometimes leading the person into a revolving door of public assistance
or crime. Taking steps to coordinate substance abuse treatment and
workforce development services, typically delivered independently
of each other, can maximize resources and help break this cycle.
Substance abuse treatment and workforce development service providers
often work with the same population, but may lack a clear understanding
of how their respective systems operate and what services they offer.
By better understanding the basics about
addiction, treatment and recovery, workforce development personnel
can better serve the employers who turn to them for skilled, dependable
workers by assisting job seekers with a history of alcohol and drug
abuse to secure employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Likewise, by learning about the nation’s workforce development
system, substance abuse treatment providers may be better equipped
to help their clients find jobs during or following treatment.
The following links provide more information about workforce
development and opportunities for addressing substance abuse problems
among job seekers:
Related information also can be found in the following section of
Working Partners’ Substance Abuse Information Database (SAID):
|
